Prosecutors drop animal cruelty charges against Joliet man

Sebastian Trujillo, 22 of Joliet, was arrested for Aggravated Cruelty to Animals on October 24.

Prosecutors dropped animal cruelty charges against a Joliet man who had been arrested by Joliet police last year following an investigation into the death of his husky.

On March 6, prosecutors with the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office dropped four animal cruelty charges filed against Sebastian Trujillo, 22, of Joliet, after determining they lacked the ability to sustain their burden of proof, according to court records.

The charges had alleged Trujillo had physically abused his husky on Oct. 24.

Trujillo’s attorney, Chuck Bretz, said the case was dismissed after the investigation into the death of his client’s male husky revealed his body showed no signs of abuse.

“When they received the results of the necropsy, there was no actual signs of abuse to the dog, nothing that they could identify as having caused the death of the animal,” Bretz said.

Defense attorney Chuck Bretz gives closing arguments in the Jeremy Boshears murder trial. Boshears is charged with the murder of Kaitlyn “Katie” Kearns, 24, on Nov. 13, 2017. Friday, April 29, 2022, in Joliet.

Based on that, there was a question as to whether the husky had been abused, Bretz said. He said there was no precise finding as to how the dog died but he said it was not because of abuse.

Bretz said the initial belief that Trujillo had abused the husky was based on unsubstantiated reports by a neighbor.

“There was no physical evidence any of those allegations,” Bretz said.

Following Trujillo’s arrest on Oct. 24, his other female husky, who was still alive, was taken from his apartment in Joliet and placed in the care of Joliet Township Animal Control.

On the same day prosecutors dropped the charges, Judge Ken Zelazo signed an order giving unfettered ownership rights of the female husky and her puppies to Joliet Township Animal Control.

However, Zelazo’s order does not prohibit Trujillo’s sister from adopting the husky or the dog’s puppies as long as Trujillo himself has no contact with any of the ones his sister adopts.

Bretz said it was his understanding that Trujillo’s sister when to adopt the female husky, they declined her application. He said he contacted animal control to inform them of Zelazo’s court order.

A call to Joliet Township Animal Control’s executive director was not immediately returned Tuesday.